QUEBEC CITY – For the second year in a row, University of Calgary Dinos quarterback Andrew Buckley is the most outstanding player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football.

Buckley, a fifth-year kinesiology student, was announced as winner of the Hec Crighton Trophy Thursday night at the All-Canadian Banquet at the Hilton Québec ahead of this weekend's Vanier Cup game hosted by Université Laval.

The win completes a historic career double-double for Buckley, who won the Russ Jackson Trophy recognizing excellence in academics, football, and citizenship in both 2013 and 2014. He becomes just the sixth player in CIS history to earn multiple Hec Crighton wins.

Dinos head coach Wayne Harris, Jr., was also honoured Thursday, winning the Frank Tindall Trophy as the CIS coach of the year.

HEC CRIGHTON TROPHY (Most Outstanding Player): Andrew Buckley, Calgary
Record-setting quarterback Andrew Buckley of the University of Calgary Dinos is the first back-to-back winner of the Hec Crighton Trophy since fellow quarterback Tommy Denison (Queen's) in 2002 and 2003. He is also the first player in history to win the national player-of-the-year award and be named a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian, the commendation for which he received last week from the Governor General at Rideau Hall.

After his remarkable 2014 season where he won both the Hec Crighton and the Russ Jackson trophies, Buckley found a way to enhance his on-field performance for the Dinos in 2015 even further.

After being selected by Calgary with the final pick of last spring's Canadian Football League draft, he attended the Stampeders' training camp in the summer and came back for his final year of CIS football with more poise, confidence, and technical skill than ever. He led the Dinos to an 8-0 record in the regular season and the No. 1 national ranking for eight straight weeks, and he piloted an offence that set multiple team and individual records over the course of the season.

Buckley tossed for more than 400 yards in five of his eight games in the regular season, finishing the year with 3,162 passing yards – a new CIS single-season record – while his completion percentage was the best in Canada West history at 72 per cent. Along the way, the fifth-year Kinesiology student threw just one interception on 246 pass attempts while tossing for 19 touchdowns. He averaged 12.9 yards per passing attempt and 395.3 yards per game, adding 33 carries for 256 rushing yards on the season and running for a trio of touchdowns.

The offence he directed set school records in points (471), touchdowns (53), passing yards (3695), total offence (5606) and field goals (26). He wraps up his stellar five-year career as the most accurate passer in school history and is second on Calgary's all-time passing list with 8,199 yards – despite starting for just three seasons.

"Andrew Buckley is the offensive leader both on and off the field," said Dinos head coach Wayne Harris, Jr. "His decision-making, accuracy as a passer, poise and confidence inspire and elevate the play of his teammates. He leads by example and has broken many records as a result of his work ethic and commitment to success."

Buckley joins an exclusive club of multiple Hec Crighton winners, including quarterback Chris Flynn (Saint Mary's, 1988, 1989, 1990), fullback Tim Tindale (Western, 1991, 1993), running back Éric Lapointe (Mount Allison, 1996, 1998), Denison, and pivot Erik Glavic (Saint Mary's 2007, Calgary 2009). Former Dinos to have won the award include Glavic, Don Blair (1995), and Greg Vavra (1983).

FRANK TINDALL TROPHY (Coach of the Year): Wayne Harris, Jr., Calgary
After a nearly 40-year association with the University of Calgary Dinos as a player, alumnus, assistant coach, and defensive coordinator, Wayne Harris, Jr. became the sixth head coach in Dinos history in February – and he hit the ground running.
 
In his first season at the helm, Harris guided the Dinos to just their second undefeated season in school history, with an average margin of victory over 40 points. The Dinos were ranked No. 1 in the CIS Top 10 for eight consecutive weeks, the longest stint atop the rankings for the program in three decades. His team produced a school-record 16 Canada West all-stars, including four of the five positions on the offensive line, all three linebackers, and four of the five spots in the defensive backfield.
 
His team finished tops in the nation in passing yards and was top-three in virtually every offensive category, led by Canada West MVP Andrew Buckley at quarterback. Defensively, the Dinos were just as good: they led CIS in interceptions and fumble recoveries and were tops in the conference in points and yards allowed. On average, the Dinos marched nearly 300 yards further per game than did their opponents (702 vs. 411).
 
Harris' unwavering commitment to excellence extends past the football field to the classroom and the community as well, a result of his 30-year career as an educator in the Calgary high school system. His team-first approach has been embraced by the players and coaching staff, enabling players to show leadership on and off the field – resulting in a dominant performance during the 2015 season.
 
"Wayne has done an outstanding job leading our football program," said Athletic Director Christine Stapleton. "Along with his staff, he has created a culture of excellence and accountability and empowered our student-athletes to take significant leadership positions, and success has been the result. We congratulate him on this well-deserved honour."

Harris, the 2006 recipient of the Gino Fracas Award as the national volunteer coach of the year, is the first Dinos bench boss to earn the national honour since Peter Connellan did it twice, in 1977 and 1985.

2015 CIS FOOTBALL AWARDS
Hec Crighton Trophy (Player of the Year): Andrew Buckley, CALGARY
Presidents' Trophy (Defensive Player of the Year): John Rush, Guelph
J.P. Metras Trophy (Outstanding Lineman): David Onyemata, Manitoba
Peter Gorman Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Mathieu Betts, Laval
Russ Jackson Award (Student-Athlete Community Service): Curtis Carmichael, Queen's
Frank Tindall Trophy (Coach of the Year): Wayne Harris, Jr., CALGARY

-UC-